title: Marginal zone lymphomas and infectious agents.
abstract: A link with infectious agents, bacteria and viruses in particular, has been reported for many lymphoma entities. Marginal zone lymphomas (extranodal, nodal and splenic forms) are frequently associated with chronic infections, with important clinical, molecular, biological, and therapeutic implications. The well-known correlation between Helicobacter pylori and gastric MALT-lymphoma, the recently reported links between Chlamydophila psittaci and ocular adnexal MALT-lymphoma and Borrelia burgdorferi and cutaneous MALT lymphoma constitute the best studied examples of lymphomagenic activity of bacteria, while the hepatitis C virus represents the most extensively investigated virus associated with marginal zone lymphomas. Biological and clinical features, therapeutic implications and future perspectives of these lymphoma-microbial associations are discussed in this review.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Lymphoid Malignancies, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Division of Onco-Hematological Medicine, Department of Onco-Hematology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: andres.ferreri@hsr.it.
authors.forename: Andrés J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Ferreri
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Govi
authors.forename: Maurilio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponzoni
mesh_terms: D025065:Borrelia burgdorferi / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002691:Chlamydophila psittaci / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D018442:Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Borrelia; Chlamydophila psittaci; Helicobacter pylori; Hepatitis C virus; Lymphomagenesis; MALT-type lymphoma; Marginal zone lymphomas